Texas business license search
Search Texas's public license registries by business name - liquor licenses, trade and shop licenses from the Department of Licensing and Regulation, tobacco retailer permits, and sales tax permits.
What this search covers
Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsSales tax permits883,801on file
The permit a business needs to collect sales tax in Texas. Most businesses selling goods or taxable services in the state hold one.
A Texas sales tax permit carries no renewal date. Each business location holds its own and appears as its own result.
Texas Department of Licensing and RegulationTrade and shop licenses111,248on file
The licenses TDLR issues to businesses: electrical, air conditioning, elevator, sign and appliance contractors, salons, barber and cosmetology schools, auto parts recyclers, employer organizations and more.
Most common
Full Service Establishment, Mini Establishment, A/C Contractor
This search covers licenses held by a business. A license held by a person, such as an electrician's or a cosmetologist's own, does not appear.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionLiquor licenses78,118on file
Licenses to sell or serve alcohol: bars and restaurants, package and wine-only stores, private clubs, distributors, wineries, brewers and distillers. Any business selling alcohol in Texas holds one of these.
This registry lists current licenses. A license that the commission has ended does not appear, so no result does not mean no license was ever issued.
Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsCigarette and tobacco permits58,814on file
Permits to sell cigarettes, cigars, tobacco products and e-cigarettes at retail. A shop selling any of them holds one permit per product group.
Most common
CIG/TOB RETAILER, E-CIG RETAILER
Every retailer permit in Texas runs to the same date, the last day of May of the next even-numbered year.
Questions
Why didn't a license I know exists show up?
This search covers the four registries listed above. Licenses issued by other agencies - insurance, real estate, health professions - and city-level permits live in other systems.
Does this replace the state's own lookup tools?
No. This is a convenience search across Texas's public open-data registries. For a legal record, check with the issuing agency directly.
How current are the results?
The Alcoholic Beverage Commission republishes daily and the Comptroller weekly. The Department of Licensing and Regulation publishes no schedule and its file can run a month behind. A license issued or renewed recently may not appear yet.
What does the On file badge mean?
It means the registry lists the license but publishes no renewal date for it. Every sales tax permit reads this way, because a Texas sales tax permit runs until it is cancelled.
Track licenses in Fernway
Fernway watches renewal dates for every license and entity you own, and reminds you before each one is due.